These Bars That Divide Us
by KindaAnxious
Summary: Prompt: Carolina and Sharkface talk about what they've been through together. So this is my first post on , and this prompt was apart of the Monty Oum Project fanfic swap. Thank you to whoever gave me this prompt; hope I did it justice. (Also, I can't find Sharkface on the add character part?)
'As long as I'm alive, you're all as good as dead!'

Sharkface looked pathetic, a sad attempt at a villian. Wash took one look at the broken, desperate solider, who was taking heavy breaths, each one taking more effort than the last.

He was asking to be killed.

He wanted an easy way out.

Kimball catches the ex-freelancers eye, and he shakes his head, lowering his gun. 'No. You deserve to pay.' His voice was full of raw emotion, as if it was him who Sharkface killed, not the innocent Chorus soldiers.

Sharkface was grabbed and hauled by the two soldiers onto the ship, while Carolina took a minute to get her breath back.

'That guy's a dick.' Epilson remarks, and she lets out a smirk.

It's been 2 months since the war on Chorus ended, and yet no one can bring themselves to leave.

Sharkface knows this, but sometimes he wished they did.

You see, this isn't the first cell Sharkface has been in. He knew what to except. What he didn't know, was that the Reds and Blues aren't your typical soldiers.

At first, it was fine. The only time he saw them was when they gave him food. But one night, Simmons had a huge fight with Grif, and this was the only place he could think of going to. Moments after he left, a distressed Grif entered.

That's where it all began, really. He became a sort of stress ball to the Reds and Blues.

He thought he'd hate it.

But cells are lonely places, and, well, he enjoyed the company. He got to know some of the soldiers, and hell, he might even have a soft spot for one or two in his cold, cold heart.

He'd hate to admit it, but... he felt at home.

It's almost as if he's lost his mind.

Huh, he thought he'd have past that by now.

'And then, even thought I'd said not to, Wash opens the drawer anyways! Can you believe that'd he would so clearly ignore what I told him?! And that's not the worst part, he also-' Tucker ranted, his arms flaying around the tiny basement which held the captured soldier.

Although Tucker's problem were... important, that wasn't the thing that occupied Sharkface's mind.

He was thinking about what was gonna happen next.

Almost all the soldiers had visited him by the 2nd week.

Almost.

Agent Carolina had enough sense to steer clear of his cell. At first, he was full of bitter rage at her, for killing the only thing that he could call family. And he still is, but he wants more than revenge.

He wants answers.

But he thought he'd never get them, as she was avoiding the cell like the plague.

One day, in the 3rd week, Wash had mentioned most of them going on a mission with some of Chorus' soldiers. 'Everyone except Caboose and Carolina are going, I think.' He recalled, before giving a small gasp, realizing who he mentioned. 'I mean...'

Sharkface just shook his head. Even thought he's managed to make peace with Wash, Carolina still has a red line across her name. He opened his mouth to speak, but the sounds of heavy footsteps interrupted him.

'Wash! We're about to leave your ass if you don't hurry the fuck up!' Grif shouted, and Wash sighed, giving Sharkface a small wave as he walked up the narrow stairs.

What was after those stairs, Sharkface doesn't know.

'...And the snipers are due for a check today.' Wash said, as he packed up the Warthog. Carolina rolls her eyes, a smile on her face.

'You do remember which one of us was the leader, right?' She teases, and he gives her the middle finger, while continuing with his list.

'Don't forget, try to make sure that Caboose eats something today. Oh! By the way,' At this point he was climbing into one of the jeeps, almost ready to leave.

'You'llneedtogetSharkfacefoodaswell. Tucker! For fuck sake, get out here!' He shouts quickly, Carolina hardly understanding half what he said.

'What?'

'Look, just bring Sharkface food and leave. You won't even need to say a word to him. You'll be fine. I'm sure.' Wash tries to sound convincing, but Carolina doesn't seem to be falling for it, as she stares him down.

'Tucker! Let's go.' He shouts nervously, and under the stare of Carolina, climbs into the jeep, Tucker following close behind him, just before he starts the engine, leaving the female agent in the dust.

Great. Now she's stuck giving food to a killer who desperately wants her dead, and looking after Caboose, which shouldn't be too hard. He;s been acting differently, ever since...

Carolina took a deep breath, steadying herself.

Then she opened her eyes, and continued on, without so much of a sigh.

The stairs leading to the cell are not the nicest.

They're steep, slippery, have moss growing in the corner, and smell of something Carolina would not like to think of. She carefully makes her way down the stairs, carrying the small tray of food.

Before coming face to face with her worst enemy.

Sharkface didn't see her at first, he was simply facing the wall on the far side on the cell. His helmet was off, and the scars that she inflicted on him all those years ago were just as visible.

Carolina shuffled her feet awkwardly, and his neck turned a small degree, hearing the noise.

'Agent Carolina... How nice of you to visit.' His raspy voice spoke into the silent room, making the blue armored solider falter.

Sharkface was a force to be reckoned with, but yet she managed to beat him. She's the very reason he's in this cell in the first place.

But that was different.

That was when he threatened to stop her friends from getting out of Armonia, threatened to kill Wash. That was when she still had Epilson.

'I-I don't want any trouble.' Her voice sounded unfamiliar to her, but it was the same voice she's been using for two months.

Sharkface laughed, but there was no humor in it. 'Now...' He stood up, and walked to the bars. 'What makes you thing I want trouble?'

Carolina never answered, so he continued. '"Trouble" was when you locked me in a cell. "Trouble" was when you killed my friends! No, I've had trouble! What I want, is answers.' All the angry he has brooded for the past 2 months came alive.

'Answers to what?' She hissed, her body turning towards the bars to face his glare.

Sharkface took a moment to think. He has thought time and time again just what he'd do if Carolina had the nerve to walk in here, and most of them ended in murder. But, ever since the Red's and Blue's started talking to him, more and more ended into just severe injuries instead.

And yet, he only had one question.

'Why am I still locked in here?' He asked.

'Because you murdered innocent people.' Carolina answered deftly, but her answer made Sharkface take one more step towards the bars, until he was eye to eye with her visor.

'Really? Because, I think that's not the case. I think... it's because you're afraid.'

His face was almost between the bars, not close enough to touch Carolina, but enough to make her feel uncomfortable.

'I have nothing to be afraid of. You're just a sick, twisted man who is hellbent on getting revenge.' The words spilled out of Carolina mouth, the vemon contained in them surprising even her.

While Sharkface took a moment to react to her words, she continued. 'Well guess what! I've already been fucking punished! So you can throw whatever the fuck you want! I've been through it all!'

She took a breath, and silence filled the cell.

But not for long.

'Congratulations, princess. One of your friends died. Boo fucking hoo. You have 20 more to comfort you! I- I never got that. I had to go to fucking therapy to get through it! But you, you're lucky. You're not alone!'

You could almost drown in the silence.

'I'm sorry.' The voice that spoke next was soft, almost as if it didn't come from Carolina. 'I'm sorry, that you didn't have anyone to comfort you. I'm sorry I was the reason. I'm sorry that you never got to say goodbye.'

Her voice became deeper, more like her normal self. 'But he wasn't the only one I've lost. Just like you, most of my old team is dead.'

'You're not the only victim, so stop trying to take it out on me. I get that I did some shitty, shitty things to you, but I'm trying to make it up to you. So can you please, just take this fucking tray of food, so I can leave?'

He took it without another word.

'It's taking longer than we expected. Coming out here, we never knew how much alien tech there would be, especially without... Anyways, we're gonna be out here for a couple more days.' Wash's voice was cracking from the radio, but she could tell that he sounded tired.

'So, um, just do what you did yesterday, and we'll get back as soon as possible.' He finished.

'Sure. Hey, Wash?' Carolina replied.

'Yeah?'

'Get some sleep.'

He signed off from the radio, and she went to go check on Caboose.

Sharkface heard her before he saw her. The way her armored feet walked down the stairs, the way she held her breath once she turned the corner, the way she took a moment of silence before speaking.

'Everyone's still on the mission, so... here's your food.'

Silence.

She shifted awkwardly from one foot to another, yet he still didn't move.

'I just-'

'Do you miss them?' He asked, and although he still had his gruff voice, there was curiosity behind it.

'W-What?'

'Your old team, do you miss them?' He repeated, and, after a moment, Carolina lifted her helmet off, shaking her red ponytail out of her way.

'Well, of course I do. They were the first thing I had that I could call a family. My mom died when I was little, my dad... They were like my brothers and sisters. Some were less, some were more, but at the end of the day, we loved each other.' Her words were calm, and Sharkface gave a slight nod.

'It was the same with my team. We understood one another, and knew each other's strengths and weakness's. But once your team attacked... the Insurrection fell apart. No one trusted anyone, especially when he brought C.T. into our base. It was... a shitshow. '

'And I never even got to see it.' He chuckled sadly. 'I was stuck in hospital.' Carolina never replied, just shifted awkwardly.

'Look, about the Insurrectionists...' Carolina starts, but Sharkface interrupts her.

'Could you pass me my food over?' He asks. She passes the tray through the small box in the cell door, which he takes, and starts munching eagerly.

'Someone's hungry.' Carolina joked, and he couldn't stop the smallest of smiles form on his food-filled face.

Carolina watches him eat, and, although there's still a silence, there's something... comforting in it.

It scares her.

'I have to go check on Caboose.' She blurts out, as Sharkface finishes the last of his food. Carolina starts to walk away, but he calls out just before she turns the corner.

'How is he?'

Those three words meant a lot.

Caboose is the only other person to not visit Sharkface, and there's a reason for that. Ever since the fallout of Chorus, Caboose hasn't been himself. He's not been eating properly, not been sleeping properly, not be acting like himself. And no one knows it like Carolina.

'He's... Been getting better.' But even as the words come out her mouth she knows he's calling her bullshit. 'Fuck,' She laughs bitterly. 'When did I become such a liar?'

Her laughter soon stopped, and she sighed deeply. 'Caboose is... He's distanced himself from everyone. He won't let anyone help him, and no one knows what to do about it, and he's not eating his food, and I'm trying to get through to him but he won't let me, and he doesn't understand that I'm hurting too, and I-' Her breathing increased in speed towards the end, but she takes another sigh, and wipes her green eyes violently.

'I have to go.'

'Carolina, wait-'

'I have to go.'

She turns the corner, and stops right after, waiting for a call, telling her to stop.

But it doesn't come.


End file.
